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October 14, 2008

Ready, Steady, Neti!

Do You Really Want to Read A Post About Nasal Hygiene?

Of course you don't, but you're here already, right? You thought it was going to be an amusing post by Merry 'cause she's usually Tuesday, but it's not. Fooled you! Fear not, though, Merry will be back tomorrow.

Anyway, I may have mentioned in passing before that I have mild but chronic allergies. My nose runs pretty much all the time, and as a result, I get occasional nosebleeds. Also I have to sleep practically sitting up. If I don't? Then my post-nasal drip eventually hits a sensitive spot or something and my asleep self decides to fix the problem by not breathing at all.

Thanks so much, asleep self. Way to problem-solve! I so love waking up in the up in the middle of the night gasping for air and fearing I'm dying.

But year after year I refuse to do anything about my allergy problems. Well, I tried some over the counter stuff a few times and it didn't help. And once I went to a doctor who suggested I drink a glass of warm salt water through my nose every day. I think I actually did it once, but, um, hello Mr. Big Fancy Expensive Ear Nose and Throat Doctor? This may surprise you, but Nose-Drinking is unpleasant! It would have to not only cure my allergies but give me superpowers of some sort. Alas, no superpowers were immediately apparent so I said screw it.

Now I suppose I could try to clean my house of allergens. But that would be a lot of work, wouldn't it? And then where the hell would I put this?

Plus, once we moved to a sterile corporate apartment across the country from our old place, with no cat and none of the usual allergens, and my nose still ran all the time. Case closed, tried everything, there's no hope!

Nasal Remedy of Last Resort: The Neti Pot

There was one thing, however, that I hadn't tried, because it sounded too much like the dreaded nose-drinking. But now I am trying it. Last weekend I went out and bought a neti pot.

For those who haven't been introduced to one before, you use it to pour water up your nose. Nice, huh? Actually, you pour warm salt water in one nostril and let it run out the other in order to irrigate your sinuses. (Preferably while leaning over the sink in the privacy of your own bathroom; not in the middle of a big client meeting at work. But however you like to roll).

Of course I assumed that the earthy-crunchy employee at the Natural Foods store would be familiar with the ancient Ayurvedic technique of jala neti, thus sparing me awkward explanations. But no, lucky me, he was a Neti Pot virgin and seemed very curious and amused by the whole concept.

(Had I thought to have googled sooner, I could have told him that the practice of jala neti is thought to assist the Ajna Chakra in awakening higher states of meditation. Plus, it's supposed to reduce mouth breathing and temper-tantrums and gives one sparkly eyes. And who doesn't want sparkly eyes?)

Even Web MD approves of neti pots for allergies and other sinus problems, though they don't cite particular studies (and I'm not going to go hunt them down either). They did mention stuff like "uncoordinated cilia" and used other impressive medical terminology, so I say, good enough--I'll give it a try!

How To Use a Neti Pot

If you're actually going to buy one, don't worry, it comes with instructions. And there are even Youtube instructional videos but I am SO not going to watch one. Do I really want to see some random stranger pouring water up his nose and flushing out his snot? No, I do not.

Basically, you just have to learn to tip your head at the correct angle so the warm salt water goes through your nose and not down your throat.

If you need additional resources, here are the best Neti Pot Instructions ever. (Or at least the most hilarious).

So How Do I Like My Neti Pot?

Well, it's a much less obnoxious practice than drinking water through your nose and swallowing it, that's for sure. The first time was uncomfortable because I had the water too warm; after I solved that problem, it wasn't fun but it wasn't a big deal. It's really just a bit of a time-consuming mess.

Does The Neti Pot Work To Reduce Allergy Symptoms?

Not yet, goddamn it! But it's been less than a week. I've decided I'm going to give it a month before deciding whether it helps or not. It's worth a little bit of patience if I can reduce my allergy symptoms. Or hell, even if I don't end up curing my runny-nose problems, maybe I can shoot for sparkly eyes or fewer temper tantrums.

My goodness, this is not going to be an easy post to comment on! I will not be alarmed if many of you do not have any thoughts/experiences to share about the exciting topic of Nasal Irrigation. But feel free to chat about anything, snot-related or not, and pray for the speedy return of Merry Sunshine.

Um. Nasal Irrigation does not sound like fun. I do have chronic allergies. They started in my teens and got worse and worse and by the time I hit my 20's I was taking allergy pills all the time and still feeling miserable most of the time. Then I moved away from home and my allergies got better. Weird, huh? I don't know if it was from living in the lush & fertile Annapolis Valley where everything grows like crazy, or from living in a 150 year old house...But now I live in Saint John, in a house with 2 very large cats, and my allergies have been so much better. Though about a month ago they started getting bad again. I'm hoping that's just because of the season, autumn was always the worse time of year for me.

Tangent - have you tried eliminating wheat from your diet? One of my friends always gets snuffly when he eats wheat products - the more bread he downs, the more he drips (ew). You might want to give it a try just to see!

These seem to be the rage ever since Oprah had one used on the show by Dr. Oz, I think. The whole concept kind of freaks me out, but I have friends who swear by them. A lot cheaper than Claritin D, too!

I have so much trouble just using my nasal spray that the idea of actual water is too intimidating. Please report back. (My asleep self is much better at dealing with sinus drainage, so I'm not motivated as much.)

My allergies prevents me from using feather blankets and pillows. Actually anything with down in it pretty much causes my nose to drip. But before figuring that out, I had acupuncture for my sinuses and that only helped a little bit. Never heard of a Neti pot until this post. My husband needs to be out of the room when I use my nasal spray. I wonder what his reaction would be if he walk in on my using a Neti pot. =)

I am put off the by the fact that the whole concept is gross and icky, but my best friend is a net pot evangelist. It has literally changed her life for the better, poor sneezy thing that she was. It has worked so well for her for over a year now that I have been considering it... but ew! How do you get over the gross?

As to the ick factor: it was kind of like the first time I put in contact lenses---there are just some places you don't wanna stick things! But I find I'm getting used to it, even though so far it's not doing a damn thing about the runny nose problem. Fall is the worst for me, though, so perhaps a small improvement wouldn't even be noticeable yet.

Will definitely post an update, whether it works or not, but NO I am not going to post a video!!!!

Tamijean, your nose runs backwards? I'm trying to picture how that would work! Do you go oooch -aH! when you sneeze? :)

I've considered trying to use a neti pot, but I don't really have sinus issues, so given that I probably wouldn't sterilize it often enough, it might just cause problems. And then I'm trying to picture how I'd do that without dripping the water down my face all over my chest. Can you get a good angle while leaning all the way over the sink? I'm always dropping food or toothpaste on myself, so I must admit that the snot-chest factor was the first to pop into my head...

I love my Neti pot, and in fact, will swap out with the Sinu-Cleanse system, which is basically the same thing but with a bottle you use to squirt a gentle stream through your nose. It does help, feels great if you've got a sinus headache (which I often do), but yes is kind of gross.

I found it rather amusing that my ENT doc never recommended it, but my primary care told me about it. Sheesh, I wouldn't have spent so much money if I had known!

I tried a neti pot in spring because of chronic sinus issues. Once I got the correct head tilt manuever it wasn't bad and actually did help. HOWEVER, I ended up with both ears plugged, to the point of being painful and having to go to an ENT, who in turn put me on a round of steroids to clear it up. I haven't used it again and truthfully my sinuses cleared up with much more success by eating clean. I'm sticking to claritin for my fall allergies.

I LOVE my neti, it is kinda gross, but I have horrible allergies during the summer, and this allows me to breathe! It helps all year round and apparently is supposed to help you not get sick by flushing out bacteria etc. Its hard to do it the first time...but the more you use it, the easier it gets.

Overall, I'm a huge fan of the neti pot. (I resisted it like you. I bought one and didn't actually use it for two years.) But when things are REALLY bad with the allergies, I'm afraid the neti doesn't do much for me. But the normal, everyday sniffle, it definitely takes care of.

Netis help with sinus headaches?? I may need to get one then, as I get sinus headaches when the barometer drops. I've been looking at them for awhile too but have been put off by the 'ick' factor. An Excedrin makes my sinuses drain (tmi?) and usually takes care of the headache, but I'd rather avoid them completely if possible.

DH has sinus 'challenges' as well, but I don't know if I could convince him it was a good idea.

they make these nasal bulbs for babies, that i've used for this same purpose since i was a little kid. you fill the thing with salt water, and then lean over the sink and squeeze the water up your nose and it comes out the other side. same result, without having to tilt your head in any weird angle. might consider it... they're usually blue and you can usually find them in the baby section like where the bottles are.

I'm not sure why everybody thinks this is such a gross idea. :) I mean, we all sneeze and sniff. How is this any grosser? :)

I had this recommended to me for my allergies and my constant sinus infections, but when I first tried it ... well, it felt like throwing up out my nose! Of course, I later found out that was because my septum and sinuses were fucked six ways to Sunday and I'd had an undiagnosed sinus infection for about five years.

I had a nice fun surgery in June to fix that, and now the sinus irrigation is actually ... well, I wouldn't go so far as to say pleasant, but definitely helpful. I've found my sense of smell gets better when I irrigate regularly, and also I can generally just breathe better. It's not nearly as helpful for the allergies as a double-dose of Zyrtec, though.

I'm not sure how it's supposed to help with allergies, really--I mean, in theory, washing the allergens out of your sinuses in a good idea, but as soon as you take a breath you'll just get more in there, right?

All in all, I think it's a good option for people who have allergies and are prone to sinus infections, or if you're exposed to a particular allergen once and want to limit the effects (say you visit a friend with a cat and irrigate when you get home). But for everyday hayfever type stuff, I can't see how it'd really be a big help.

Also, if you haven't already, you might try to NeilMed sinus rinse bottle instead of the neti pot--it's not as tricky to find the right angle, etc., imho.

I started using a Neti pot last year and it changed my life. Once I got the hang of it it became second nature. I use it every morning. I avoid the gross factor by using it in the shower instead of over the sink. Turns out my shower water temp is also the perfect temp for the Neti - and I found early on that water temp is key to using the Neti and not feeling like you're drowning. Too hot or too cold and it's uncomfortable and even painful, but just the right "warm" and I don't feel it at all (which is perfect). Since I am in the shower, anything gross coming out the other nostril gets washed off and away down the drain.

I use the saline packets instead of the premixed solution since it's a no-brainer to just do one packet per filled Neti pot. On bad days or when I am sick I use it a 2nd time before bed (although then I just do it over the sink unless I feel compelled to take another shower).

Not only do I breath better during the day, but my chronic nighttime coughing spells (caused by torturous post-nasal drip) are mostly gone, save for the occasional bout.